Horse slightly lame ?s

[babyblue]

Ok to start out, I have already called the farrier and he should be out sometime this after noon.


My 21yo QH gelding is ever so slightly lame in the left front, however the hoof itself is a few degrees warmer then the left and back two. Nothing looks or feels wrong with the legs or other hooves. His temp pluse and cap refill are normal. He has not had a change in diet hay or grain wise, he has had a few mins a day eating grass, but not long and I was slowly building him up, just like I do every year. He is most defiantly not over weight, I keep him lean and trim because he is older and his arthritus acts up when he puts the pounds on.


Last year at this same exact time he stepped on something sharp (we think a rock that worked its way up) and had a bad bruise and a small abscess. Treated it and took care of him and he was fine and in great shape till now. He is currently in his stall bedded deep with clean dry shavings. I can not see any damage or anything wrong with the hoof itself anywhere. He is currently barefoot, because he seems to do better without over the winter.

I am so hoping that he just managed to find another rock to step on and its not founder or laminates.

 

[patandchickens]

Statistically-speaking, I can pretty well assure you it's an abscess

There is not always an obvious cause, sometimes it just happens, sometimes from something you couldn't see (bruise on the one rock in the whole pasture; poked in frog by stub of dead goldenrod cane; mysterious gravel fairies; etc)

That said, it is good you are taking it seriously

Good luck, let us know how it goes,

Pat

 

[chickenzoo]

that would be my first thought too.

 

[birdygirl123]

I agree with Pat!..

 

[lockedhearts]

Yep, likely abcess. My older QH mare had an accident as a yearling (why she was never shown) she nearly cut her right front foot off. She is prone to abcesses in that foot. Once they get an injury, that foot is more prone to recurrence of abcess.

 

[flnatv]

I agree with everyone else... We went through the same thing last year and it finally came out at the top of her hoof. Taken about a year to have it all grow out and look smooth again.
Let us know what the farrier says.

 

[babyblue]

Only a 5 degree temp difference and the abscess it self was like the size of a dime. Big baby

Oh well.

 

[babyblue]

Quote:
I like to catch the little things before they turn into great big things

The farrier was pretty surprised too that I noticed it so soon, but hey Ive had him going on 15 years and he is an enormous pansy so the little things tend to stick out to me.

I really liked one of the tools he had on hand as well. It was a digital infrared lazier pointer thermometer. It picks up the temp differences down to a degree. Hoof testers can give you a fairly good idea of where it is, this narrows it down so far. Its was not a big fancy thing either, actually a truck engine thermometer repurpased.

 

[welsummerchicks]

There's a temperature gun too that I am saving my pennies for, $80.00 I think. Aim it at the leg, press a button, shows you an image of the heat patterns in the leg.

Only one problem...not all injuries develop heat. But many do.

Oh other problem. Some heat in leg is natural. It's a matter of learning to make sense of what you see by knowing your horse's 'normal'.

 

[babyblue]

Quote:
I agree. I have had people give me dumb looks when I ask what their horses baseline vitals are. Not every horse is the exact same and if they don't know normal then when somethings just off how can they tell. My horse for example you have to do things in a certain order. respiration, heart rate, temp then cap refill. Why? because for some reason he hates having his gums messed with and if that goes first he pissy and his heart rate will jump.